Head of President’s Office flies secretly to Qatar

President Miloš Zeman’s head of office, Vratislav Mynář, flew to Doha last week without the knowledge or consent of the government, iRozhlas reported. The Office of the President later explained that it was a business trip to personally invite the Emir of Qatar to visit the Czech Republic. Although by law the government is responsible for Czech foreign policy, neither the prime minister nor the minister of foreign affairs knew about the trip, iRozhlas said.

The chairman of the Senate Foreign Affairs Committee, Pavel Fischer, described it as a scandal and a serious violation of constitutional obligations. This is not the first time Mr. Mynář has flown abroad on a diplomatic mission without a government mandate – in 2020 he went to Beijing with a letter from Mr. Zeman, despite the ongoing coronavirus epidemic.